• Practice for every day of the school year • Help students prepare for standardized testing

 3. Which sentence best tells why Hoover 
sits under the highchair?
A 
“Hoover’s favorite room in the house 
is the kitchen.”
B 
“Often, the baby drops his food.”
C 
“Then she munches away.”
D 
“Our puppy Hoover loves to eat.”
 4. Which one best explains the story’s title?
A 
Hoover can walk on her hind legs.
B 
Hoover makes whirring sounds.
C 
Hoover moves quickly along the floor.
D 
Hoover cleans up food off the floor.
STRATEGY PRACTICE
Think about a dog you know or have seen. Tell a partner
how Hoover is or is not like that dog.
Prediction
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Name: 
© Evan-Moor Corp. • EMC 3453 • Daily Reading Comprehension 
147
WEEK 23
Author’s Purpose 
Prediction
DAY 5
READ THE PASSAGE
Think about why the author wrote the passage.
Mail Mules
Some mules work for the United States Post Office. They deliver the mail to a 
small village at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. A tribe of Native Americans lives 
there. The only way to reach them is by a dirt path. That path twists and turns 
down and down for thousands of feet. The path is too narrow and dangerous for 
trucks. The wind is too fierce for helicopters. One mail carrier and a team of mules 
are brave enough to make the trip. They carefully clop downhill 8 miles. After 3 
hours, they reach the bottom of the canyon. They deliver the goods and return to 
the canyon’s rim. That hike takes another 3 hours. They do this every day, even in 
rain, snow, or the blazing sun.
The Native Americans live 120 miles from the nearest store. The mules bring 
them everything they need. The mules deliver mail, milk, and medicine. They also 
bring furniture and frozen foods. The supplies are unloaded and left at the post 
office. The people go there to pick up their orders.